More work needs to be done to reassure public about the safety of virtual wards, research warns

Overall, the UK public is supportive of virtual wards, but this support is finely balanced, according to a new analysis by The Health Foundation.

In total, 45% of the general public are supportive of virtual wards, 36% are not very or not at all supportive, while 19% are unsure whether they are supportive or not.

NHS England’s Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency services commits to an expansion of virtual wards, and the NHS is aiming for more than 10,000 virtual ward beds by winter.

The Health Foundation says these results highlights there is further to go in raising awareness and in understanding and addressing the public’s concerns as this model of care is developed.

Use of language may be hindering support for virtual wards

This new data is based on a survey of 7,100 nationally representative members of the public (aged 16 years and older).

The survey found that support for virtual wards is highly illness or condition dependent. Indeed, when participants were asked whether they would personally be happy to be treated at home instead of in hospital, 29% said yes, 27% said no and 42% said ‘it depends’.

Of the 42%, roughly three quarters (77%) said it depends on what their illness or condition was, 43% said it depends on whether they could get help quickly, 28% said it depends on whether the quality of care was as good in hospital and 23% said it depends how often they were in contact with NHS staff.

These findings suggest that the NHS will need to engage with the public to understand how they feel about using this model of care for different conditions.

The research also showed that language can have a significant impact on outcomes. For example, when participants were asked if they would be happy to monitor their own health at home instead of in a hospital, 78% of the public said they would be happy to do this, whereas only 13% would not.

This suggests a lack of understanding of ‘virtual wards’ could be stymying support for the policy, which risks slowing the take-up of this model of care – potentially denying patients access to appropriate care at home and keeping people in hospital when they don’t need to be there.

NHS staff largely supportive of virtual wards

As part of the research, the Health Foundation also surveyed 1,251 NHS staff members to explore what healthcare professionals think about virtual wards and what factors will be important for making sure they work well.

NHS staff were largely supportive of virtual wards, with 63% in support compared to 31% who did not support the idea and 5% who weren’t sure.

Older people, disabled people and those with a carer were also more supportive of virtual wards, which is encouraging considering these groups typically have greater health needs and might therefore be expected to be more intensive users of virtual wards.

However, staff were clear that in order for virtual wards to work well, there must be an ability to admit patients to hospital quickly if they condition changes, and for health professionals to be on hand in case a patient needs help.

Maximising the potential of tech-enabled care at home

Dr Malte Gerhold, Director of Innovation and Improvement, says policymakers must now work to educate the public about the benefits of virtual wards before they are rolled out on a larger scale.

He said: “Done right, virtual wards have the potential to provide safe care for patients in the comfort of their own homes, avoiding the risks to their recovery that come with extensive hospital stays and freeing up much-needed hospital beds.

“It is encouraging to see support for virtual wards is higher among those more likely to require health care, such as older people, disabled people, and those with a carer. As virtual wards are rolled out, the NHS will need to consider the barriers that households can face and make sure they have the right support available.

“In the face of unprecedented pressures, the NHS won’t be sustainable in future without greater use of new technologies, so ensuring new ways of delivering care have the backing of patients and the public will be critical if they are to become part of business-as-usual. As well as evaluating virtual wards to ensure they are delivering high-quality care in practice, policymakers need to engage more with the public about how to maximise the potential of better tech-enabled care at home.”